04 February 2009

BBQ SAUCE OF THE WEEK: Legend Deep South Hot & Spicy Barbecue Sauce

Creole barbecue sauce? Yep, that's a new one on me, too. But it's at that unlikely intersection that Season's Harvest has positioned their Deep South barbecue sauce - "a Creole based sauce that has a spicy taste with just enough zest to do the job."

If the name Legend sounds familiar to you, you may remember that we reviewed another in that line of products last year - Legend's Apple Cider for Pork barbecue sauce. The Deep South sauce is from their line of "regional" barbecue sauces.

The sauce comes in what looks like a large pill bottle (complete with dark brown tint) and the label has a retro photo of New Orleans jazz musicians. When uncapped, it yields an aroma strong of Worcestershire sauce and molasses. The taste is instantly familar as barbecue sauce - sweet and smoky - but other flavors quickly emerge that proclaim this sauce's uniqueness: chili powder, cumin, paprika, and perhaps even sassafras? The Cajun/Creole theme is advanced by a mirepoix of diced onions, celery, and bell peppers suspended in the thickness of the sauce. And lest you forget that this sauce is named "Hot & Spicy," there is a hearty dose of Cayenne pepper which turns the heat up well past mild.